Books – Made in UAE, creating truly Emirate children’s books

March 10, 2014 3:37 pm

The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) has announced that the call for applicants for the 2014 edition of the innovative ‘Books – Made in UAE’ project is now open.

The launch of this year’s edition of the project also coincides with the UAEBBY’s participation in the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature being held at the InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, from the 4th to the 8th of March.

Now in its third year and previously known as ‘Made in UAE’, this collaborative project by the UAEBBY and the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region aims to encourage the creation of Emirati-made children’s and young adult books that reflect the cultural values and interests of the young people of the UAE. Following last year’s edition, which saw five new Emirati young adult books in the dystopian/fantasy/sci-fi genre come into being, this year ‘Books – Made in UAE’ will once again switch its focus to the creation of Emirati children’s books.

Speaking about the project, Marwa Obaid Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY Executive Board, commented, “We knew from the very start that this project was something truly special and now, as we enter the third edition, I am extremely proud to be able to say that the results thus far have exceeded even our expectations. In the previous two editions we saw truly talented individuals step forward and create amazing books and we are looking forward to the biggest edition of the project to date. There is no shortage of talent in the UAE and it is a great pleasure and privilege to give young and upcoming writers and illustrators a chance to thrive.”

Dr. Gabriele Landwehr, General Manager of the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, added, “The ‘Books – Made in UAE’ project is part of our longstanding efforts in the United Arab Emirates to promote reading and to encourage the sustainable growth of exciting Emirati children’s literature. The series of workshops and other related activities have proven to be very effective and successful and, with the third edition coming up, the project continues as a long-term commitment of UAEBBY and the Goethe-Institut.”

Aspiring children’s writers and illustrators who would like to be a part of the project should make use of the opportunity to visit the ‘Books – Made in UAE’ stand at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

This year ‘Books – Made in UAE’ will once again team one writer with one illustrator with the purpose of creating a truly Emirati children’s book. Participants selected to take part in the project will have the unmatched opportunity of working with acclaimed German children’s book author Anja Tuckermann over the course of an intensive workshop. The authors and their texts that were created during the project will be matched with talented Emirati illustrators in a workshop during the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival 2014.

The UAE Board on Books for Young People (UAEBBY) is the national section in the United Arab Emirates of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). Founded in Switzerland in 1953, the IBBY is an international network of people from more than 77 countries who are committed to bringing books and children together.

The Goethe-Institut is a world-wide organization working to promote German language and culture. With a network of 159 institutes and ten liaison offices in 93 countries around the world and 13 institutes in Germany, the Goethe-Institut acts on behalf of the German Government to implement its cultural relations policy. The Goethe-Institut Gulf Region offers German language teaching in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al-Ain and organises cultural events in the Gulf Region.

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